Box Office: 'Taken 3' Steals #1 with $40M; 'Selma' Opens with $11M

1. Taken 3- $40.4M
There was never any doubt that Taken 3 would be the first big hit of 2015. Of course that would be the case, and it's largely why these badly-reviewed movies keep opening when they do. Hyped as the final time for Liam Neeson to show off his "particular set of skills" as Bryan Mills, the film $40.4M opening is extraordinary given the poor response to Taken 2, which opened with $49M back in 2012 and ended up with $376M worldwide. These films have always had a strong international following and chances are Taken 3 will as well, and when all the numbers are added up it's going to be hard for Europa and 20th Century Fox to shut this franchise down no matter how much it needs to end.
2. Selma- $11.2M
After a modest Christmas Day debut to qualify for the Oscars, Ava DuVernay's Selma expanded to over 2000 theaters and earned a solid $11.2M. That's not bad given the $20M budget for the civil rights drama which centers on Martin Luther King's march for voting rights back in 1965. The film has had incredible word of mouth and a ton of Oscar buzz, and there seems to be a genuine movement to get people out to see it. For one thing, many people are pushing for DuVernay to succeed where so many other indie directors have failed when given the reigns to high-profile projects. While there has been some push back on some of the portrayals in the film that probably won't hurt its momentum. On the other hand Selma isn't quite the easy sell as last year's The Butler which had a marketable cast and could be positioned as less depressing than 12 Years a Slave.
3.Into the Woods- $9.7M/$105.2M
4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies- $9.4M/$236.5M
5. Unbroken- $8.3M/$101.6M
6. The Imitation Game- $7.6M/$40.8M
7. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb- $6.7M/$99.5M
8. Annie- $4.9M/$79.4M
9. The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death- $4.8M/$22.3M
10.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1- $3.7M/$329.5M

For an indication just how jam-packed the Oscar season can get, and how beneficial awards buzz can be, just take a look at the movie's on the bottom end of the scale. Reese Witherspoon's Wild continues to perform well with another $2.7M and $30.3M total; and American Sniper brought in another $555K in only four locations for a $3.1M haul before going wide release next week. Also debuting was Paul Thomas Anderson's druggie detective comedy Inherent Vice, which expanded and brought in $2.9M for a $4.8M total. Let's face it, Anderson's movies have never been big sellers (The Master only made $28M worldwide) and Inherent Vice comes with its own challenges such as the R-rating, genre, and '70s setting.

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'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' Starts 2015 Off With a First Place Finish

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies- $21.9M/$220M
I've yet to fully understand the decision to split the one book of 'The Hobbit' into three movies..how am I kidding, of course I do....money. Personally I think it was a mistake and it shows. It's easy for us to sit in our suburban homes criticizing the sell-outs of Hollywood but let's be honest. If you have a property that you can stretch in to three 9 figure paydays as opposed to one are you really going to take the artistic route? Didn't think so.

2. Into the Woods- $19M/$91M
The silver screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical was all the rage amongst it's audience. Wondering if your in that audience? Do you have Once Upon a Time DVR'd? You're in that audience. Personally I found the film to be a bit more than a let down but it would appear that enough of you disagreed to keep it in the #2 spot.

3. Unbroken- $18.3M/$87.8M
The film's mantra of "If you make it, you can take it" must have wiggled into the real world as Angelina Jolie's story of an Olympic champion turned Japanese POW wills itself into the number three spot in it's second week of release.

4. The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death- $15.1M
The follow up to Daniel Radcliffe's first post-Potter outing failed to make a huge splash but at $15 million it's definitely a respectable take for a lower budget horror movie in the black hole that is early January.

5. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb- $14.4M/$89.7M
When you consider this is the fourth entry in the series and Ben Stiller is about 6 years past time as a "Hot" hollywood actor the $89.7M total take over three weeks is definitely respectable but given the ensamble (most of which are also past their Hollywood expiration date) and the lack of family friendly competition, it's not all that surprising. I'm just thankful that Robin Williams has another film coming out...I'd hate to see him go the way of Raul Julia who's final film was Street Fighter.

6. Annie $11.4M/$72.6M
Really? Annie hasn't broken the $100M mark after three weeks? I have to be honest this is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. A time honored film updated with the adorable and talented Quvenzhané Wallis and it doesn't blow the Christmas competition away? I mean, come on!

7. The Imitation Game $8.1M/$30.8

8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1- $7.7M/$323.8M
Seven weeks later and Katniss Everdeen still holds a place in the top 10. I think it's safe to say that fandom for The Hunger Games isn't waning.

9. The Gambler- $6.3M/$27.5M
No records are being broken but Mark Whalbergs gamble on this oscar bait movie have paid off as it passes it's budget of $25 million this week. Whalburgers all around!

10. Big Hero 6- $4.8M/$211
Disney does it again as Baymax and company break back into the top ten showing the greatest staying power of the list with 9 total weeks in theaters, and a well deserved stay it is!

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Box Office: Strong Debuts by 'Unbroken' and 'Into the Woods' can't Topple 'The Hobbit 3'

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies- $41.4M/$168.5M
Turns out audiences haven't grown bored of Middle Earth quite yet. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies dominated the 5-day Christmas holiday with $54M overall, $41M over the weekend. Overall it will have passed the $500M worldwide mark probably by tomorrow, and when all is said and done it should be right up there with Guardians of the Galaxy as the top earners of the year.
2. Unbroken- $31.7M/$47.3M
Angelina Jolie's sophomore directorial effort, Unbroken, got off to the kind of powerhouse opening Academy voters will love with $47M over the holiday. The film, which stars breakout actor Jack O'Connell as Olympian and WWII hero Louis Zamperini, was built for this time of season and it showed. In an extremely crowded week, its $47M debut counts as the third best ever for Christmas week. Jolie's name was pretty much what the movie was promoted on, not that she spends a single moment in front of the camera, and clearly she turned out to be just as much of a draw as the inspiring true story being told.
3. Into the Woods- $31M/$46.1M
Disney's star-studded musical Into the Woods nearly sang its way past Jolie but just fell short with $46M over the 5-day week. The film boasts more superstars than anything in theaters right now with Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, and more as iconic fairy tale characters. Does this count as a much-needed win for Depp, who has had four flops in a row? Probably not. He only appears in the film for a hot second as the Big Bad Wolf, and this one was all about the ensemble, anyway. Sorry, Depp. Better look forward to Mortdecai (which looks awful) for Depp's next chance to rebound. Anyway, it's a big win for Disney and a good month for musicals overall with the Annie remake also performing well. More on that later.
4. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb- $20.6M/$55.3M
Showing why so many family-friendly movies open around Christmas, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb bounded 20% from last week for $20.6M. Considering the mediocre start from last week this makes things look somewhat better.
5. Annie- $16.6M/$45.8M
And continuing to sing its way to our hearts is Annie, the hip-hop remake starring Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Cameron Diaz. It didn't seem to be fazed by having another high-profile musical like Into the Woods opening, as the film earned $16.6M, nearly 5% up from last week.
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1- $10M/$306.6M
7. The Gambler- $9.3M/$14.3M
A Mark Wahlberg-led remake of a 1974 James Caan film few remember? The Gambler was always going to have a tough go of it, especially this time of year with audiences looking for something relatively harmless, but the film still managed to perform well with $14M over the holiday. Once eyed as a potential Oscar contender, The Gambler probably won't meet those expectations, but the $25M flick has a solid performance by Wahlberg that has gained it some solid word of mouth. It's a good film, worth checking out if you can get away from the kiddies.
8. The Imitation Game- $7.9M/$14.6M
Booming to over 740 theaters, an increase of 800%(!!!), The Imitation Game is clearly being positioned as a Best Picture frontrunner. This is pretty much how things went with The King's Speech a few years ago, rolling out small in November before going huge a month later. We'll see if Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley can bring the story of heroic mathematician Alan Turing some gold.
9. Exodus: Gods and Kings- $6.75M/$52.5M
10. Wild- $5.4M/$16.3M

Told you this was a crowded week. There were a number of major films that had tiny platform releases worth mentioning. Ava DuVernay's MLK Jr. drama Selma opened in 19 sites for $912K, which isn't bad at all for a film many (like me) perceive as the best of the year. It will expand in a few weeks. Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper's American Sniper, in which Cooper gains a Texas accent and mad sharpshooting skills, got off to an incredible start with $610K at only 4 locations. That's another one many are looking at as an Oscar candidate, both for Eastwood and Cooper.

Tim Burton's art world dramedy Big Eyes earned $4.4M over the 5-day holiday, opening in just over 1300 theaters. That's pretty small by Burton standards, but consider that it was only supposed to get a small Christmas release by Sony until they were forced to scramble after the whole fiasco with The Interview.

Speaking of which, The Interview did $2.85M of business in its 331 locations. Of course the film also opened on VOD, and we won't have those numbers for awhile, but no matter what Sony is going to eat it big time on this one. If they had just left well enough alone and kept it in the original number of theaters (likely 3000 or more) it probably would have made back the $40M+ production budget. Now it doesn't have a prayer, not even when the Blu-Ray release hits.

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Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into the Woods', Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, and More

Steven Sondheim's celebrated musical premiered on Broadway in 1986 and has been popular ever since. In it, Sondheim retells the tales of several fairy tale characters that we know well, but they don't necessarily have the traditional happy endings we've all become accustomed to. And really, who better than Rob Marshall (Chicago, Annie (1999), Nine) to direct and adapt the musical to the big screen. He directs the adaptation in a visceral way and has a creative eye that brings us a new version but still manages to maintain respect to the original material. With a great cast, wonderful production value, and high energy, Into the Woods is definitely some of the most fun you'll have at the movies this year. 

In a land far away, surrounded by woods, there lived a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), who have both desperately longed to have a child, but to no avail. In a house surrounded by an evil stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) wishes to go to the king's festival (known to all of us as a ball). In another part of the kingdom, a young boy named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and his mother (Tracey Ullman) need money for food, but Jack doesn't want to sell his beloved cow for gold coins. And Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) is on her way to her granny's house, but mustn't stray from the path to get there. 

The Witch (Meryl Streep) from next door knows the baker and his wife wish to have a child and tells them a little secret: The reason they can't have a baby is because she cursed their house when the baker's father stole the vegetables from her garden (and the magic beans that kept her young). So, in order to lift the curse, the couple must go into the woods to retrieve items the witch requires so they can finally make their wish come true. All the fairy tale characters cross paths in one way or another and end up being led off their original paths and are instead led down a path none had anticipated when they'd made their wishes.

Rob Marshall has a knack for taking something from the stage and transforming it into a new experience for those who have been fans of Into the Woods and, at the same time, has the ability to make new fans of the musical as well. The creative liberties that he takes add to the musical rather than take away from it. Even the couple of songs that are omitted in the second half of the film aren't necessarily felt because Marshall does such a good job setting up what the characters are feeling. 

The entire art production of the film is superb. The costumes, the sets, and the natural setting, paired with good use of some CGI, is well-balanced. The ensemble cast works very well together and some of the most memorable parts of the film come when they cross paths in the woods during several occasions, which is also very much remiss of the stage production and plays out pretty well onscreen, to the advantage of the film because this could have gone very wrong. 

Ironically, Meryl Streep swore she'd never play a witch, but of course threw that out the window as soon as she found out it was for a musical by Sondheim, and she owns every minute of her screen time. Her presence is both sad and fun all at the same time, and her entrances and exits in every scene are fantastic. And as much as the rest of the cast may have probably been intimidated by Streep's presence, they hold their own and at least aren't overshadowed by her. 

Emily Blunt and James Corden are essentially the central characters of the film and everything revolves around their story. The two are good together, have a cute chemistry, and are able to hold their own in a sea of characters that are running amok in the woods. Anna Kendrick may be an odd choice for some as Cinderella simply because she is different than what the stereotype has implied in the past but her powerful voice, indecisiveness, and kindliness immediately endears her to you. 

Lilla Crawford and Daniel Huttlestone, the youngest of the cast, do a good job in keeping up with all the of the more experienced actors. Huttlestone, who was in Les Miserables two years ago, has improved in enunciating during his songs so that everyone can understand what he's singing. And between all the main characters running around, we can't forget the two-dimensional princes, played by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen, whose only major problems are that they're smitten with women whom they can't immediately have and provide the large amount of comedic relief in the film. 

The princes, along with the evil stepmother (Christine Baranksi), are the only ones in the fairy tale shakeup who remain static as characters and don't go beyond the original two-dimensional way they've always been written. This is primarily because they're used as a cause for change in the people around them but don't do any of the changing themselves. In this case, it still works here, mostly because of the comedy, and as a warning, Magnussen's character is probably the most cheesy of all of them. 

The film also touches on several great and important themes: Taking responsibility for one's actions, realizing there are consequences for your actions, to be careful what you wish for, that everything you wish for and want isn't necessarily what you thought it would turn out to be, and probably most central to the story is the theme of parenthood and the teaching of children. After all, "you must be careful what you say, children will listen". 

Whether Sondheim means to address gender roles in an almost mocking fashion (like he does with the entire fairy tale aspect) intentionally, I'm not sure, but he does regardless. There is a lot in there about mothers and fathers, the relationship between parents and children, women being on their own in life, how the baker's role is slightly challenged when his wife joins him in the woods to help him achieve their goal, and how ironic it is when only the female dies right after she commits adultery, but her male counterpart does not.

All of these things are thrown in there and really make you think about the way women are treated in comparison to men, how fairy tale characters and their happy endings are portrayed in pop culture and how they shape and inform generations but really shouldn't because Sondheim is saying, look, there are consequences and there are lessons and it's not just fairy dust, princes, and castles. He's asking to really look at these characters.  

Sondheim tells the tale through well-worded lyrics and Marshall plays off of these lyrics fantastically. He enhances the songs in well-choreographed scenes, most notable of them being "Agony" by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen, where they spend the entire song preening and prancing competitively in what is also the funniest song and scene in the film. Also a favorite is "It Takes Two" with Blunt and Corden, who show off their playfulness during the song, and "On the Steps of the Palace" by Anna Kendrick, who runs through her indecisiveness in terms of the prince in a clearly indecisive way that anyone can probably relate to. 

One of the stranger aspects of the film is the wolf, played by Johnny Depp, who is creepy in a way kids won't get but adults very much will. He's in the film all of five minutes, but the interaction between he and Red Riding Hood is very much filled with sexual innuendo, harking back to the original tale and can be a bit off putting, though children won't read too much into it. Also, the scene where Red Riding Hood sings after being rescued by the baker doesn't really seem to fit into the film at all. Not the song itself, but the scene of being eaten by the wolf and then the scene inside the wolf's stomach is out of place and could have been omitted and left with just Lilla Crawford singing and perhaps doing something that didn't involve the wolf at all. 

All in all, long-time fans and general audiences will be entertained by Into the Woods. Die-hard fans also shouldn't fear of any massive changes to the plot either, and Disney takes care not to shake off the dark direction the story takes. And even though the film softens some of the outcomes in the second half, adults will be able to grasp the underlying subtleties. Hopefully, you can take a deeper look at a musical that's chock full of themes, as well as a fun shake up of all the fairy tale happy endings we've all come to know, which is also ironic since this is produced by Disney. 

The original Grimm brothers tales all make their appearances and the stories are much darker than what we're used to, especially once we get past the first half of the film and move into the aftermath of all the characters' wishing. And save for a couple of instances where the film feels like it loses its balance (and they all have to do with the wolf), the musical carries itself gracefully and with enthusiasm. A great day for musicals. 

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Free Advance Screening of Disney's 'Into the Woods'

Disney's star-studded fairy tale musical Into the Woods doesn't open until Christmas Day, but we want to give you a chance to see it early! Starring Anna Kenrick as Cinderella, Johnny Depp as The Wolf, Meryl Streep as the Witch, Emily Blunt as the Baker's wife, James Corden as the Baker, Chris Pine as Prince Charming, and more, the adaptation of the Steven Sondheim musical presents a modern twist on the Grimm Brothers fairy tales in telling the story of a couple who venture into the woods to break a witch's curse.  The free advance screening of Into the Woods takes place on Monday, December 1st at 7:30pm at Regal Gallery Place!

To enter, simply fill out the Punchtab entry form below. Winners will be contacted on Wednesday, November 26th with an Admit-Four pass to the screening. Good luck!

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New Trailer and Motion Posters for Disney's Star-Studded 'Into the Woods'

Fans of Broadway musicals are going to be very happy with the gifts bestowed upon them this holiday season. A new trailer has been released for Disney's star-studded Into the Woods, Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical fantasy featuring some of your favorite storybook characters like Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and more. With the Annie remake also out there this Christmas, will audiences be willing to indulge in both?

A new trailer and a series of subtly animated motion posters have been released, showing off the impressive cast of Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Chris Pine, Billy Magnussen, Daniel Huttlestone, Lilla Crawford, and Mackenzie Mauzy. Into the Woods opens December 25th. Here's the synopsis:

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.


Into The Woods International Trailer #2 by itsartmag

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Johnny Depp is the Big Bad Wolf in New Images from 'Into the Woods'

"I’ve been offered many witches over the years, starting when I was 40, and I said no to all of them. But this was really fun because it played with the notion of what witches mean. They represented age and ugliness and scary powers we don’t understand. So here’s my opportunity to say, here's what you wish for when you're getting old."

While everyone can appreciate having the chance to see Meryl Streep playing bad as the evil Witch in Rob Marshall's musical adaptation Into the Woods, we know she's going to bring it the way she always does. What we haven't had a chance to see yet is her co-star Johnny Depp in the role of the Big Bad Wolf, but that has now been rectified by EW, who have put the cast of the fairy tale film on their latest cover series. And honestly, he kind of looks like Disney's version of the wolf, the one who terrorized the Three Little Pigs in the 1933 cartoon. Whether that's what they were going for or not, since this is a Disney movie, that much isn't clear but Depp's lecherous appearance next to Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) screams "To Catch a Predator".

We also get a look at James Corden and Emily Blunt as the Baker and the Baker's Wife, who venture into the woods in hopes of breaking a curse; Anna Kendrick as Cinderella alongside Chris Pine as the Prince; and Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel.  Into the Woods opens Christmas Day.

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Fairy Tales Come to Life in First Trailer and Photos for Disney's 'Into the Woods'

Nobody has had more success with live-action fairy tales than Disney, who have broke the bank with Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent already, and probably will again next year with Cinderella. But even when turning to the small screen, the Mouse House has scored another hit with Once Upon a Time, even going so far as to include Frozen characters into the next season. Basically, fairy tales are big business right now. So it's easy to see why they wanted to adapt Steven Sondheim's beloved fairy tale musical Into the Woods, and it's no shock that a superstar cast immediately flocked to be a part of it. And for those who have been eagerly awaiting a first look at the film, your wish has now been granted.

A teaser trailer for Into the Woods has been released, along with a number of new photos featuring much of the huge cast, although Johnny Depp's Big Bad Wolf is conspicuously absent. James Corden and Emily Blunt star as the Baker and his wife who desperately wish to have a child but learn they have been cursed by an evil Witch played by Meryl Streep. The only way to break the curse is to venture deep into the woods, where they encounter famous characters from the Brothers Grimm stories you read as a kid: Anna Kendrick is Cinderella, Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood, Chris Pine as Prince Charming, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, and many many more.

Into the Woods opens Christmas Day, directed by Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha helmer, Rob Marshall.


INTO THE WOODS-Official Trailer (HD) Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp by Trailersstv

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First Look at Meryl Streep In 'Into the Woods'

Following up on the $1B-grossing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Rob Marshall has decided to go back to his musical roots with an adaptation of Broadway play Into the Woods. The star-studded fantasy film doesn't arrive until next year's holiday season, but production is now underway in London and the marketing push has begun with the first official image.

Meryl Streep is the centerpiece of initial photo as The Witch, one of the key fairy tale characters to make an appearance in the film. James Corden and Emily Blunt play The Baker and his wife, who are desperate to have a child, only to learn that the Witch has cursed them with the inability to do so. The only way for them to break the spell is to make the dangerous journey into the woods and find the ingredients the Witch needs to restore her beauty. Disney has rounded up a number of stars to play the many storybook characters they'll meet along the way, such as Johnny Depp as The Big Bad Wolf, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, and Chris Pine as Prince Charming.

Into the Woods takes the stage on Christmas Day 2014.

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Jake Gyllenhaal Exits 'Into the Woods' as 'Nightcrawler' Goes Forward

It's a busy day for Jake Gyllenhaal news, what with him recently signing on to star in Everest for Baltasar Kormakur. And as that project begins to take shape, another he's been attached to for awhile has also taken a step forward, forcing Gyllenhaal to drop out of a very high-profile musical.

Gyllenhaal has been forced to exit Rob Marshall's fairy tale musical, Into the Woods. He would have been a part of a star-studded cast that includes Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, and James Corden, playing one of the two princes who take a liking to Rapunel and Cinderella.

Before he climbs Everest, Gyllenhaal will begin shooting on Nightcrawler, the directorial debut of Dan Gilroy (Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy). Co-starring with Rene Russo, he'll play a driven man who gets sucked into the nocturnal world of freelance crime journalism in Los Angeles. All of the Gilroys will be on hand for this one, with Tony producing and John working as an editor.

Gyllenhaal will be seen next in the gritty crime pic, Prisoners.

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Emily Blunt lands female lead in Rob Marshall's 'Into the Woods'

There's no question Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine, Memoirs of a Geisha) knows his way around adapting Broadway musicals for the big screen, but to be honest his casting for Into the Woods has been remarkably free of....well, vocalists. Or at the very least, we've never heard the majority of the cast really bust out their pipes in a feature film, with Johnny Depp probably having the most experience thanks to Sweeney Todd. Now Marshall is adding one more to the cast who will be proving for the first time that she can carry a tune.

Emily Blunt is in talks for the female lead in the adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's fairy tale musical, taking the role of the Baker's wife. She and the Baker make up a childless couple who encounter a number of famous storybook characters while venturing into the woods to confront the evil witch that cursed them. James Corden will play her husband, while Meryl Streep will vamp it up as the witch, and Depp plays a sexy version of a fairy tale wolf. Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Pine recently came aboard as the two arrogant Princes, joined by stage veteran Christine Baranski as Cinderella's wicked stepmother.

Production begins this fall on what is looking to be a major film for 2014. [Variety]

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Chris Pine joins Joe Carnahan's 'Stretch'; may go 'Into the Woods' with Jake Gyllenhaal

Just as he's donning his Starfleet jumpsuit for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, Chris Pine is busy figuring out how to keep his momentum going. He's already secured his own franchise as the title character in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, and now he's eying two projects that could keep him occupied until he's beamed back up for more 'Trek'.

One of Pine's earliest breakout roles was in Joe Carnahan's (terrible) Smokin' Aces, and now he's set to rejoin him for a cameo in his next film, Stretch. The low-budget action film stars Patrick Wilson as “a down-on-his-luck chauffeur looking to relieve his debt by driving around a mysterious billionaire who drags him to hell and back.” Between Cosmopolis and Holy Motors, haven't we seen enough of films set in a limo?

Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal are also circling Into the Woods, Rob Marshall's adaptation of the popular Broadway musical which already has Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep attached. The fairy tale film centers on a childless baker (James Corden) and his wife who attempt to break a curse by heading into the woods and confronting the witch who cast the spell on them. Along the way they run into a number of fairy tale creatures, including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Rapunzel. Depp is to play a sexier version of a fairy tale wolf, while Streep will get to ham it up as the evil witch. While no offers have been made, Pine and Gyllenhaal would play the pompus princes of Cinderella and Rapunzel.[THR]

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Johnny Depp and Rob Marshall to reteam for musical 'Into the Woods'

The last time Johnny Depp and Rob Marshall teamed up the results were pretty incredible. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides did more than just keep the long-running franchise going, it took in over $1B and was the second best performer of the bunch. Not too shabby, and clearly they had a great time working together because they're reteaming on a big screen adaptation of hit Broadway musical, Into the Woods.

The fairy tale story follows The Baker and The Baker's wife, who venture into the woods to confront the witch who cursed them, leaving them unable to bear children. Along the way they'll run into a number of familiar characters, including Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood. Last fall we learned that Meryl Streep was circling the role of the evil witch, and Variety now confirms she's in talks. Marshall recently held a table reading that included the likes of Anna Kendrick and Patrick Wilson, but neither is involved at this stage.

Depp hasn't flexed his musical muscles since Sweeney Todd, but he'll find a willing guide in Marshall, who directed screen musicals Chicago and Nine. It's unclear when this will shoot, but with Depp and Streep looking to be on board, expect it to move forward as soon as possible.

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